22/06: Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Jonathan was out in the barn when Daisy came to talk to him.
“I met your son, he seems like a good ‘ol boy just like his daddy,” Daisy told him.
“He is a good boy, makes Martha and me proud,” Jonathan replied.
“And strong too,” Luke said it felt like a car had done knocked him clear across town,” Daisy laughed.
Jonathan didn’t smile, just said, “yes, gets it from working around on the farm, he didn’t know it was Luke.”
“Bo…” Daisy stepped in front of him, “don’t you wanna talk to me?” Jonathan looked up at her in surprise.
“A ‘course I do Daisy, question is, how can you talk to me?” he asked her.
“Oh Bo, I would never stop talking to you,” she answered.
“After what happened, all these years have passed, how can you look at me?” he asked her.
“Same way I always did, with my eyes. Now you listen to me Bo Duke, I know you leaving was hard on you too. At the time I didn’t, and I was hurt, but I know now you couldn’t not do what your mamma asked. And I was hurt when you didn’t write back…”
“My mother took the letters I was mailing and asked I not write you back, she begged me not to,” he explained. “I meant to write after she had calmed down, but I started school, and then she got sick, and I forgot about it, I was so wrapped up in school, coming home to take care of her, everyday the same thing. Then she died, and I wanted to see you, Uncle Jesse, and Luke, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t face you,” he said.
“Oh Bo, we’d never turn you away,” she said giving him a hug as he started to cry. He pushed away after a second.
“Uncle Jesse died and I wasn’t there. I’ll never forgive myself for that, never!” he raised his voice.
“Uncle Jesse loved you Bo! He knew you didn’t want to hurt us, he never stopped loving you!” she raised her voice to him as well, “you stop punishing yourself right now!”
“How can I?” he asked, “I can’t.” Daisy walked up to him.
“Here,” she handed him a envelope, “it’s Uncle Jesse’s letter to you, you read it when your ready Bo, and you calm down, Luke and I have something to tell you… and it’s going to be hard, and you might just forget all about this guilt your feel,” Daisy said in a odd way.
“What do you mean I will forget?” Jonathan told her.
“Bo… I can’t lie to you anymore,” Daisy said.
“Lie to me about that?” Jonathan asked.
“I could have mailed you that letter just as easy as mailing out a utility bill, but I wanted to see you. I missed you so much, and we promised Uncle Jesse we’d give you that letter in person, and explain to you about…” she trailed off.
“About what?”
“Don’t you dare Daisy, not yet, not now!” Luke was coming into the barn, followed by Clark, and Martha.
“Explain what to me!” Jonathan was getting angry, Martha went over to his side.
“Jonathan please, calm down,” she told him.
“Luke we came to see him, and to tell him!” Daisy shouted at him.
“You did, I didn’t, it’s his own fault Daisy, he has no right to be angry at us, and we promised her we wouldn’t contact him about it,” Luke argued.
“Promised who what Luke!” Jonathan shouted.
“Bo, please, I didn’t want you angry when I told you, you have to understand…”
“Understand what Daisy!”
“She asked us, made us promise not to tell you, not to call you back. She didn’t want you going back out of guilt. You had already made your mind up and left,” Daisy was rambling on, “I wanted to Bo, so did Uncle Jesse, but he did promise, he did understand in a way. And he thought, it was best. The decision you would have had to make would have been so hard on you…”
“Daisy! Tell me what the heck you’re talking about, what is going on?” he asked.
“Don’t do it Daisy, at least not yet, he’s coming, should be here by tomorrow,” Luke told her.
“There’s no point in waiting Luke, it will give him some time to deal with it,” she looked at Jonathan.
“Daisy Duke! Tell me now!” he demanded.
“Sit down Bo,” she started, “this will be a shock, and I’ve prayed so many times that when you found out you wouldn’t hate us.”
“Hate you? Why would I, what is wrong, what is it!”
“When you left, 2 weeks after, Sally May Johnson came to see Uncle Jesse, she was scared, and needed to talk,” Daisy began.
“Daisy!” Luke shouted at her.
“You hush up Luke Duke, I can’t hold this in no more!” she yelled back at him tears coming down her cheeks. Luke looked at her, and walked off.
Daisy began, “She told Uncle Jesse she had just found out she was pregnant Bo,” Jonathan looked as if he couldn’t breath, “and it was yours, but you had left, and left her, and she made him promise before she told him anything that he or any of us wouldn’t call and tell you, she didn’t want you going back out of gui…”
“Stop!!”
“Out of guilt, and we...”
“STOP!” He went over to her right in front of her, “are you telling me I have a child that you, Luke, Uncle Jesse, and Sally decided I didn’t have the right to know about!” he yelled.
“Please Bo don’t be…”
“Don’t be what? Mad? MAD THAT I HAVE… what do I have Daisy,” he looked at her.
“A son… he turned 21 this year… his name is Bo… we know it was only your nick name, but she, to all of us you were Bo, Sally May died Bo, in an accident when Little Bo was 6… Uncle Jesse took him in… Luke and I, we’ve taken care of him as well as Uncle Jesse.”
“I HAD A SON! AND YOU ALL KEPT HIM FROM ME!” he yelled at her.
Clark had gone to stand next to his mother who was crying as well. Clark didn’t know what to do. He had a brother. An older brother. And his dad had a son, and didn’t know.
“Don’t you yell at her!” Luke came back in.
“She was his mother, and she didn’t want us to tell you, it was her choice. You left! If you want to be mad, you can go and look in the mirror,” Luke told him.
“You hated me that much, you’d steal my baby Luke,” Jonathan told him. “You all these years help raising him, knowing I had no clue. That bring you some sort of sick pleasure?” Jonathan yelled at him, “ and you have the nerve to show up here, and BE ANGRY AT ME!” Jonathan punched Luke in the face making Luke stumble back.
“Dad!” Clark shouted.
“Jonathan!” Martha shouted.
Luke went and threw a punch at Jonathan, knocking him back. Jonathan got up and rammed him into the table against the barns inside wall. Luke grabbed his side for a second when Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him off from the table and then threw him to the ground. Luke fell to the ground, but as he did, he tripped Jonathan knocking him down. They both scrambled to get back up to go at it again, but Clark was now in the middle of them.
“Stop!” he shouted, “I don’t know about you, but I just found out I got a brother, and I know nothing about him!”
“Jonathan!” Martha went up to him, and he then saw that she was crying.
“Martha,” he looked at her, “I’m sorry… you must… god Martha I...”
“I know, I know, its ok, its ok,” she told him.
“No, no its not. Nothing is ok,” he turned and walked off.
“Jonathan wait!” Martha was still in tears, she was shocked, and surprise and knew Jonathan was hurting.
“I’ll go after him in a bit, come on, let’s go to the house,” Clark hugged her, and started to head to the house.
“We’re sorry, we’re so so sorry,” Daisy was crying as well, “Luke, I cant believe you would hate Bo so much to do this to him,” she told him before walking off to the house as well, Leaving Luke alone in the barn.
Jonathan was out in the barn when Daisy came to talk to him.
“I met your son, he seems like a good ‘ol boy just like his daddy,” Daisy told him.
“He is a good boy, makes Martha and me proud,” Jonathan replied.
“And strong too,” Luke said it felt like a car had done knocked him clear across town,” Daisy laughed.
Jonathan didn’t smile, just said, “yes, gets it from working around on the farm, he didn’t know it was Luke.”
“Bo…” Daisy stepped in front of him, “don’t you wanna talk to me?” Jonathan looked up at her in surprise.
“A ‘course I do Daisy, question is, how can you talk to me?” he asked her.
“Oh Bo, I would never stop talking to you,” she answered.
“After what happened, all these years have passed, how can you look at me?” he asked her.
“Same way I always did, with my eyes. Now you listen to me Bo Duke, I know you leaving was hard on you too. At the time I didn’t, and I was hurt, but I know now you couldn’t not do what your mamma asked. And I was hurt when you didn’t write back…”
“My mother took the letters I was mailing and asked I not write you back, she begged me not to,” he explained. “I meant to write after she had calmed down, but I started school, and then she got sick, and I forgot about it, I was so wrapped up in school, coming home to take care of her, everyday the same thing. Then she died, and I wanted to see you, Uncle Jesse, and Luke, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t face you,” he said.
“Oh Bo, we’d never turn you away,” she said giving him a hug as he started to cry. He pushed away after a second.
“Uncle Jesse died and I wasn’t there. I’ll never forgive myself for that, never!” he raised his voice.
“Uncle Jesse loved you Bo! He knew you didn’t want to hurt us, he never stopped loving you!” she raised her voice to him as well, “you stop punishing yourself right now!”
“How can I?” he asked, “I can’t.” Daisy walked up to him.
“Here,” she handed him a envelope, “it’s Uncle Jesse’s letter to you, you read it when your ready Bo, and you calm down, Luke and I have something to tell you… and it’s going to be hard, and you might just forget all about this guilt your feel,” Daisy said in a odd way.
“What do you mean I will forget?” Jonathan told her.
“Bo… I can’t lie to you anymore,” Daisy said.
“Lie to me about that?” Jonathan asked.
“I could have mailed you that letter just as easy as mailing out a utility bill, but I wanted to see you. I missed you so much, and we promised Uncle Jesse we’d give you that letter in person, and explain to you about…” she trailed off.
“About what?”
“Don’t you dare Daisy, not yet, not now!” Luke was coming into the barn, followed by Clark, and Martha.
“Explain what to me!” Jonathan was getting angry, Martha went over to his side.
“Jonathan please, calm down,” she told him.
“Luke we came to see him, and to tell him!” Daisy shouted at him.
“You did, I didn’t, it’s his own fault Daisy, he has no right to be angry at us, and we promised her we wouldn’t contact him about it,” Luke argued.
“Promised who what Luke!” Jonathan shouted.
“Bo, please, I didn’t want you angry when I told you, you have to understand…”
“Understand what Daisy!”
“She asked us, made us promise not to tell you, not to call you back. She didn’t want you going back out of guilt. You had already made your mind up and left,” Daisy was rambling on, “I wanted to Bo, so did Uncle Jesse, but he did promise, he did understand in a way. And he thought, it was best. The decision you would have had to make would have been so hard on you…”
“Daisy! Tell me what the heck you’re talking about, what is going on?” he asked.
“Don’t do it Daisy, at least not yet, he’s coming, should be here by tomorrow,” Luke told her.
“There’s no point in waiting Luke, it will give him some time to deal with it,” she looked at Jonathan.
“Daisy Duke! Tell me now!” he demanded.
“Sit down Bo,” she started, “this will be a shock, and I’ve prayed so many times that when you found out you wouldn’t hate us.”
“Hate you? Why would I, what is wrong, what is it!”
“When you left, 2 weeks after, Sally May Johnson came to see Uncle Jesse, she was scared, and needed to talk,” Daisy began.
“Daisy!” Luke shouted at her.
“You hush up Luke Duke, I can’t hold this in no more!” she yelled back at him tears coming down her cheeks. Luke looked at her, and walked off.
Daisy began, “She told Uncle Jesse she had just found out she was pregnant Bo,” Jonathan looked as if he couldn’t breath, “and it was yours, but you had left, and left her, and she made him promise before she told him anything that he or any of us wouldn’t call and tell you, she didn’t want you going back out of gui…”
“Stop!!”
“Out of guilt, and we...”
“STOP!” He went over to her right in front of her, “are you telling me I have a child that you, Luke, Uncle Jesse, and Sally decided I didn’t have the right to know about!” he yelled.
“Please Bo don’t be…”
“Don’t be what? Mad? MAD THAT I HAVE… what do I have Daisy,” he looked at her.
“A son… he turned 21 this year… his name is Bo… we know it was only your nick name, but she, to all of us you were Bo, Sally May died Bo, in an accident when Little Bo was 6… Uncle Jesse took him in… Luke and I, we’ve taken care of him as well as Uncle Jesse.”
“I HAD A SON! AND YOU ALL KEPT HIM FROM ME!” he yelled at her.
Clark had gone to stand next to his mother who was crying as well. Clark didn’t know what to do. He had a brother. An older brother. And his dad had a son, and didn’t know.
“Don’t you yell at her!” Luke came back in.
“She was his mother, and she didn’t want us to tell you, it was her choice. You left! If you want to be mad, you can go and look in the mirror,” Luke told him.
“You hated me that much, you’d steal my baby Luke,” Jonathan told him. “You all these years help raising him, knowing I had no clue. That bring you some sort of sick pleasure?” Jonathan yelled at him, “ and you have the nerve to show up here, and BE ANGRY AT ME!” Jonathan punched Luke in the face making Luke stumble back.
“Dad!” Clark shouted.
“Jonathan!” Martha shouted.
Luke went and threw a punch at Jonathan, knocking him back. Jonathan got up and rammed him into the table against the barns inside wall. Luke grabbed his side for a second when Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him off from the table and then threw him to the ground. Luke fell to the ground, but as he did, he tripped Jonathan knocking him down. They both scrambled to get back up to go at it again, but Clark was now in the middle of them.
“Stop!” he shouted, “I don’t know about you, but I just found out I got a brother, and I know nothing about him!”
“Jonathan!” Martha went up to him, and he then saw that she was crying.
“Martha,” he looked at her, “I’m sorry… you must… god Martha I...”
“I know, I know, its ok, its ok,” she told him.
“No, no its not. Nothing is ok,” he turned and walked off.
“Jonathan wait!” Martha was still in tears, she was shocked, and surprise and knew Jonathan was hurting.
“I’ll go after him in a bit, come on, let’s go to the house,” Clark hugged her, and started to head to the house.
“We’re sorry, we’re so so sorry,” Daisy was crying as well, “Luke, I cant believe you would hate Bo so much to do this to him,” she told him before walking off to the house as well, Leaving Luke alone in the barn.
